One more and then the checking

Text and picture: Heidi Papinaho

Oulu is agog with different kinds of cafés, bistros, and pubs, each with a unique style. The best way to become acquainted with this world is by joining it with a group of friends to sit and spend some time.

Even though several courses are strongly content based, students can find one which offers a nice change and brings fun into their studies.

When you are thinking where to spend time with friends, it is worthwhile to keep in mind that you want a place where everyone will enjoy being and how that communal time is spent. It is easy to stop by for a coffee or lunch, while in the evening for a cold one.

Thinking about a moment of enjoyment

Morning coffee, lunch, or a relaxing evening is possible in the atmospheric Coffee House on Rotuaari. The coffee selection is broad, several tea selections are available as well as sweet and savory snacks. On the soft couches in Coffee House time goes by quickly.

One of the most popular cafés is Cafe Bisketti on Rotuaari and you can’t always find a free table because of that. A hundred different selections are available from its bakery daily.

Bar Bee can be found in the same space. It is a smokeless sitting room bar. The movie themed is easy to move to for a beer after a sticky bun.

Café Picnic can be found in Citytalo on Isokatu, where it is easy to go for lunch. The atmosphere in picnic is cheerful and their subs are delicious.

Citytalo also has the salad bar Street Cafe where you can enjoy a lighter lunch. Street cafe is also an ice-cream parlor and its servings are said to be the best in Oulu.

A brewski please

Bar & Café Milou on Asemakatu offers many different types of activities for the evening. Every second Thursday there is a Rock & Pop quiz night and Friday’s is Texas Hold’Em poker. In addition there are poetry nights, games, and armchair athletes get to see football on the screen.

At the edge of Otto Karhi, also known as Letkun Puisto, is the sitting room bar Otto K. There you can speak easy, play games and listen mostly to pop and rock music or watch Canal+ TV programs.

There used to be a bank at the current place. What makes it interesting is that on the ceiling there are shredded 50 and 100 Finnish Mark notes to the worth of 30 million Finnish Marks.

Amarillo on Rotuaari offers possibilities for all kinds of ways to spend the evening. The street floor restaurant you can stop for a coffee, to have a bite of Texmex or just sitting away the evening.

If you start feeling you need to break out your boogie shoes; you just go downstairs to the nightclub below.